Leadership Adventure Gap Semester

This experience was absolutely amazing. I feel like a new person in a good way. These past two months have taught me so much about life and the challenges it brings. I’ve met some pretty amazing people in this journey and also made connections through Jim. The Costa Rica experience was something I will never forget for as long as I live.

The Leadership Adventure Semester with Adventure Treks was a truly wonderful experience. For a such new program, it was thoughtfully planned and every aspect was excellent. The location was wonderful, as western North Carolina is incredibly beautiful and has plentiful opportunities for many different kinds of recreation. The staff are all amazing, skilled, charismatic, and kind people who are eager to help you learn and grow as a person. So beyond thankful for this community. If you're uncertain about signing up, just do it! You won't regret it. It gave me so much more confidence for leading wilderness expeditions, and for life in general.

Man, where do I even begin? Mere words will never adequately express my gratitude for the sunsets, laughs, mountain goat families, exhilarating rapids, sense of accomplishment, sore calves, breathtaking views, and universal growth shared among a group of 12 strangers that turned into family. This trip is a highlights reel of the most stunning wild places in the American West (especially the PNW). I still have to pinch myself when I think back to paddling down 14-ft waterfalls on a river that flows through a collapsed lava tube. When I close my eyes, I can still imagine the endless expanse of stars in City of Rocks and the sheer power I felt while shouting an inside-joke battle cry into a canyon in the Goat Rocks. From daily practice in risk management, knots, Leave No Trace--to my River Rescue and Wilderness First Responder Certifications, I feel capable and confident to lead backpacking trips with friends and beyond. I also fell in love with rock climbing, and I am very involved in the outdoor scene on my college campus. In an age of isolation and sleepwalking behind screens, this trip was such a necessary and timely reminder of what really matters in life. I learned that when you show up each day with your whole authentic self and actively invest in the growth of yourself and others, you are capable of anything. I learned to chase relationships and experiences (like AT) that make you feel so wholeheartedly loved, alive, and true. I highly, highly recommend this program to anyone my age. The transition to college is such an inflection point full of uncertainty and chaos, and this trip gave me time and space to reflect upon the person I am and the person I want to be, and I found the sense of direction and meaning I craved within the most supportive and encouraging environment. Attending Adventure Treks last summer was undoubtedly the best decision of my life. (Thank you, THANK YOU, Mom and Dad). I grew immensely as an outdoorswoman, leader, friend, and human being, and I have epic stories and friendships to last a lifetime. I can't say enough good things about this program.